Tuesday, April 30, 2013

For the first time in women's professional racquetball history, three of the top four players are Mexicans. Indeed, it's the first time that three of the top four players are not American. In the latest Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT) rankings Paola Longoria is #1, Susana Acosta is #3 and Samantha Salas is #4. Only Rhonda Rajsich breaks up the Mexico trio, as she's the #2 LPRT player.

The men's International Racquetball Tour (IRT) has had two of their top four players as non-Americans, but never more than that.

Salas is the player who's moved up most significantly. Her runner-up performance at the Battle of the Alamo in San Antonio last weekend boosted her ranking from 6th to 4th ahead of both Cheryl Gudinas (in 5th) and Adrienne Fisher (6th).

Krystal Csuk has again moved ahead of Kerri Wachtel into 7th with Wachtel in 8th.

Grace Hughes and Cristina Amaya round out the top 10 at 9th and 10th with Da'monique Davis's quarter final performance in San Antonio moving her up to 11th ahead of Jennifer Saunders who's now 12th.

Maria Jose Vargas and Veronica Sotomayor have both moved up. Vargas is 14th and Sotomayor is 16th.

The LPRT's next event is the SCS Title and Escrow Pro/Am in Herndon, Virginia which is this weekend May 3-5, 2013.

Monday, April 29, 2013

The 2013 Racquetball Canada Junior Racquetball Championships were held in Burlington, Ont. last week, and the 2012 Canadian and World Junior Champion in Boy's U16, Coby Iwaasa, repeated as champion in U16 and also won the Boy's U18 title. Simiilarly on the girl's side, Michele Morissette won both the Girl's U16 and U18 titles.

In the U14 divisions, Alexis Iwaasa - who is Coby Iwaasa's cousin - won the Girl's title with Trevor Webb winning the Boy's title.

But the big concern this year is the low number of participants, especially on the girls' side. Only 57 players were in Burlington, down from 82 last year in Winnipeg, and of those 57 only 18 were girls.

There were 115 players in the 2010 Canadian Junior Nationals, which were also in Burlington. What's happened in the past three years that's led to a 50% decrease in participation?

For any Canadian racquetball player, and especially the racquetball coaches, this has to be troubling.

The biggest surprise of the weekend happened in Las Vegas at the Classic Pro Racquetball (CPRT) Championships, as neither the 1st or 2nd seed, Woody Clouse and Craig Lane, respectively, made it out of the quarter finals of the event, which was won by Doug Ganim.

Ganim beat Clouse, who has been the dominant CPRT player the last few seasons, winning in four games, 9-4, 9-7, 3-9, 9-8. Then in the semi-finals, Ganim beat Herb Yamashiro, 9-8, 9-5, 2-9, 9-3, to advance to final.

In the final, Ganim faced Jimmy Lowe, who had beaten Cliff Swain in the other semi-final, 9-4, 9-2, 9-6. Lowe won the first game of the final, but Ganim won the next three to take it in four games, 3-9, 9-3, 9-4, 9-2.

Battle of the Alamo

Cristina Amaya won the Women's Open division of the Battle of the Alamo in San Antonio, Texas, as she beat Carla Muñoz in the final, 15-14, 15-5. In the semi-finals, Amaya defeated Maria Paz Muñoz (no relation to Carla), 15-7, 15-10, while Carla Muñoz beat Da'monique Davis, 5-15, 15-10, 11-8.

The Battle of the Alamo Men's Open division went to Jansen Allen, who was victorious over Alex Ackermann in the final, 15-6, 15-9. In the semi-finals, Allen defeated Anthony Herrera, 15-14, 15-8, while Ackermann beat his brother Adam Ackermann in a tie-breaker, 6-15, 15-12, 11-2.

Allen also won the mixed doubles title in San Antonio, as he teamed up with Paola Longoria to defeat Krystal Csuk and Patric Mascorro in the final, 12-15, 15-2, 11-8. They reached the final with a semi-final win over Linda Scales and Garrett Tyler, 15-9, 15-8, while Csuk and Mascomo beat Da'monique Davis and Chase Robison, 15-12, 13-15, 11-6, in the other semi.

Tournament of Champions

In Portland, Oregon, at the Tournament of Champions, Joel Barshaw won the Men's Open division by defeating Connor Laffey in the final, 15-13, 15-11. Barshaw defeated Sunji Spencer, 15-9, 15-13, in the semi-finals, while Laffey took out Nick Baida, 15-6, 15-10, in the other.

Barshaw and Laffey were partners in Men's Open Doubles, but they lost in the semi-finals to eventual winners Baida and Christopher Barton, 15-11, 15-11. In the other semi-final, Spencer and Tim Prigo beat Andrew Gale and Matthew Majxner, 5-15, 15-14, 11-9. Baida and Barton won the final against Spencer and Prigo, 15-6, 15-11.

Sunday, April 28, 2013

LPRT #1 Paola Longoria won the Battle of the Alamo Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT) event in San Antonio, Texas by defeating her doubles partner Samantha Salas Solis, 11-7, 11-4, 11-5, on Sunday.

Salas Solis started strong, and led early in game one at 3-0 and 5-4. She came out drive serving and putting pressure on Longoria with the pace of her shots.

However, Longoria adjusted to the pace and put pressure on Salas Solis vy drive serving herself. Longoria got the lead in game one at 6-5, and pushed the score up to 10-6. Salas Solis holed her at ten for several game points, but could only cut the deficit by one as Longoria finished the game off at 11-7.

Game two was all Longoria as she took an early lead at 5-1, and cruised to an 11-4 win. Game three was close early, as Longoria only led by one at 4-3, but Longoria opened up a 8-3 advantage and held that, winning 11-5.

Longoria is now 31 and 11 in women's pro finals (a 73.8 winning percentage), and she hasn't lost one since May 2011. Salas Solis was only playing fourth pro final, and she's now 1 and 3 in those finals.

The next LPRT event is next weekend, as the women move to Herndon, Virginia for the SCS Title and Escrow Pro/Am May 3rd to 5th.

Saturday, April 27, 2013

Kane Waselenchuk put in a dominating performance to win the final of the 2013 Ektelon Tournament of Champions in Portland, Oregon, adding his name to other great International Racquetball Tour (IRT) players that have won in Portland, including Cliff Swain and Sudsy Monchik.

Waselenchuk defeated Ben Croft in the final, 11-2, 11-3, 11-7, by drive serving throughout the match, racking up close to double digit aces against one of the best serve returners in the game.

Croft actually lead in game one, as he served first and Waselenchuk skipped the return. However, Waselenchuk then got the serve back and scored ten straight points to lead 10-1. They exchanged points before the game was over at 11-2.

Waselenchuk served first in game two and scored six points, including three aces, before Croft served. Croft got a side out and then a point off a drive serve to the right side, which was the serve Croft used most in the match, as Waselenchuk skipped the return.

But Waselenchuk got the serve back, and ran the score up to 9-1 before Croft was able to get the serve back. Croft did get two points before Waselenchuk ended game two at 11-3.

There were only 20 rallies in each of the first two games.

In game three, Croft did not just roll over. That despite Waselenchuk again getting the early lead at 5-1. Croft battled back to make it 6-3. Waselenchuk extended the lead again to 9-4, when Croft put together a run of points to make it 9-7 and gave a hint that the match might go into a fourth game.

But at that point there was a long rally that ended with the players trying to make shots up front, and the final shot was a Croft skip that gave Waselenchuk back the serve.

Waselenchuk drove serve to the right, and Croft skipped the return to make it 10-7. After a hinder rally, Waselenchuk hit a drive z serve to the left, and finished the rally with a backhand cross court to end the match.

It's over four years since someone has hit a match winning point against Waselenchuk. He's lost some matches due to injury, but not because someone won three games against him.

Waselenchuk will try to continue his winning streak at the next IRT event, which is the Stockton Pro/Am beginning this Thursday May 2 in Stockton, California.

There will be a Mexico show down in the final of the Battle of the Alamo Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT) event in San Antonio, Texas, as LPRT #1 Paola Longoria will face off against her doubles partner Samantha Salas Solis on Sunday.

Longoria reached the final with a three game victory over Cheryl Gudinas, 11-1, 11-5, 11-0, while Salas Solis beat LPRT #2 Rhonda Rajisch in four games, 11-3, 11-4, 7-11, 12-10.

It looked like Rajsich was going to force a tie-breaker against Salas Solis, as she had a 10-6 lead in game four of their match. But Salas Solis dug in and kept Rajsich from scoring, as she ran off six unanswered points to take the game and match.

Salas Solis played well but the final two points of the match came from Rajsich's errors on serve return. Salas Solis lob served to the left with Rajsich skipping the return, and then Salas Solis served a half lob to the right that Rajsich also skipped to end the match.

It's Salas Solis's fourth career pro final, and three of them have come in Texas.

Longoria hasn't lost a women's pro match since May 2011, so she's been in every LPRT final since then, except for the 2011 Texas Open, which she didn't play in. That Texas Open in August 2011 was the last tournament Salas Solis made the final of, and she lost to Rajsich.

It's the second time that Longoria and Salas Solis have met in a final. The other time was the 2010 Texas Open, when Longoria won in three straight games.

The final will be web-cast via the LPRT Network at noon CDT on Sunday.

Kane Waselenchuk, the #1 International Racquetball Tour (IRT) player, reached the final of the 2013 Ektelon Tournament of Champions in Portland, Oregon, with a three game victory over Jose Rojas, 11-4, 11-6, 11-7.

Ben Croft will be Waselenchuk's opponent in the final, as Croft also had a three game victory in defeating Rocky Carson, 11-0, 11-9, 11-8.

Waselenchuk never trailed on Friday, when only gave up six points in six games, but he was behind almost right off the bat as Rojas had a 2-1 lead in game one. Waselenchuk then won seven straight points to hold a 8-2 advantage, and went on to win it 11-4.

In game two, Waselenchuk had the early lead and was up 7-4 when Rojas closed the gap to one point at 7-6. They stay there for several rallies, exchanging side-outs, before Waselenchuk ran four points to take game two, 11-6.

In game three, Waselenchuk again had the early lead, but this time Rojas caught up and passed him, as he took a 7-6 lead on the IRT's #1 player. However, Waselenchuk again had a successful response, as he held Rojas at seven and scored five straight points to win the game and match.

Both players primarily drove served through out the match. Rojas early on was hitting drive serves to the left, although that's Waselenchuk's forehand, as the left wall was glass, which might have provided some distraction. Later in the match, Rojas drove serve to the right side - Waselenchuk's backhand, and that seemed to be more successful, although not ultimately so.

Croft came out on fire against Carson, scoring five points in the first game before Carson even got on the board. Croft extended that lead to 9-1, when Carson was assessed a technical, resulting in a loss of point and a 9-0 score line.

After losing another rally that gave Croft his tenth point, Carson took a time out even though he'd used his time out earlier in the game, so another technical resulted, making the score 10-(-1). Carson did get another point to make the score 10-0, but Croft ended the game before he could get into positive numbers.

Croft again held the advantage early in game two at 3-0, but Carson battled back and tied the game at 4-4 and 5-5 before Croft again got a three point lead at 8-5.

Carson then called a time-out, and came back in and scored four unanswered points to go up 9-8. Croft's turn for a response, and he had one, tying the game at 9-9 and then serving an ace to get his first game point at 10-9. Croft converted that game point by drive serving down the right side and Carson skipped the return.

In game three, Carson got the early advantage at 4-2 and maintained that advantage until Croft tied the game at 8-8. Then Croft drove serve on second serve, and hit an ace to make it 9-8. The tenth point came off a third shot backhand pinch to the front left corner, and the game and match winner was a Carson serve return skip, just as at the end of game two.

Croft played well, so it was a surprise when he said afterwards that he hadn't been on court since the St Louis tournament two weeks ago. Croft added, "I wish I'd drive served earlier in my career," as he's been very successful with it this season, including drive serving on second serve.

The IRT Network will web-cast the final at 7:00 PM PDT Saturday night.

No upsets in the quarter finals of the Battle of the Alamo Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT) event in San Antonio, Texas, but Maria Jose Vargas had her chance at one, as she went five games with 6th seed Samantha Salas Solis, who won 0-11, 13-11, 11-6, 2-11, 13-11. Vargas outscored Salas Solis 50-39, but didn't win the deciding fifth game.

Salas Solis will play LPRT #2 Rhonda Rajsich in the semi-finals, as Rajsich defeated Cristina Amaya in the quarters, 11-5, 11-3, 12-10.

LPRT #1 Paola Longoria's winning streak continued early Saturday, as she beat Grace Hughes, 11-4, 11-4, 11-2, in the quarter finals. Veteran Cheryl Gudinas has the opportunity to end that streak, as she beat Da'monique Davis in the quarters, 9-11, 11-2, 11-2, 11-8.

The semi-finals will be web-cast via the LPRT Network on Saturday afternoon at 5 PM with the final to follow at noon on Sunday.

Kane Waselenchuk, the #1 International Racquetball Tour (IRT) player, has played six games at the 2013 Ektelon Tournament of Champions in Portland, Oregon, and his opponents have scored six points total. Four of those points were scored by Javier Moreno, as Waselenchuk beat him 11-0, 11-1, 11-3, in the quarter finals on Friday.

Waselenchuk's next opponent will be Jose Rojas in the semi-finals on Saturday, as Rojas won a close match against Chris Crowther, 15-13, 11-7, 11-6.

On the other side of the draw, Rocky Carson will take on Ben Croft in the semi-finals. Carson defeated Tony Carson (no relation) in three straight games, 11-7, 11-8, 11-6, and Croft was also a three game winner beating Charlie Pratt, 11-7, 11-2, 11-4.

The Rojas-Crowther match was the most competitive of the quarter-final matches. Crowther was up 6-0 in game one, but Rojas came back to tie it at 6-6.

Crowther again went ahead, 9-6. Again Rojas came back to tie it at 9-9, and then go ahead 10-9, but that was the first of several game points by both players that was not converted.

Crowther then scored two points to have a game point of his own. In fact, he had three game points, but was unable to convert any of them. They traded points back and forth until they were tied at 13-13. Then Rojas scored two points in a row to end it.

In both games two and three, Rojas and Crowther were close until the mid-point of each game, when Rojas went ahead and was able to finish each games.

The IRT Network will web-cast semi-finals beginning at 11 AM Saturday morning. The final is set for 7:00 PM PDT Saturday night.

Friday, April 26, 2013

Four upsets in the Round of 16 at the at the Battle of the Alamo Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT) event in San Antonio, Texas, but only one of them was by one of the young players we were looking for in our preview of this event. That was Maria Jose Vargas, who upset 3rd seed Susana Acosta, 8-11, 11-7, 11-4, 11-2.

Charlie Pratt has reached the quarter finals of the 2013 Ektelon Tournament of Champions in Portland, Oregon - a Tier 1 event on the International Racquetball Tour (IRT), in his first match since last fall, as he upset 3rd seed Alvaro Beltran in the Round of 16, 6-11, 11-9, 7-11, 11-7, 11-6.

Veteran Javier Moreno also needed a tie-breaker to defeat Marco Rojas after he let Rojas come back from a 0-2 deficit. Moreno won it in five games, 11-1, 11-7, 7-11, 5-11, 11-3.

Moreno will play IRT #1 Kane Waselenchuk in the quarter finals, as Waselenchuk laid a beating on David Horn, winning 11-1, 11-1, 11-0.

The IRT Network is web-casting the quarter-finals from 4 PM PDT Friday afternoon. Note that the semi-finals and final will be on Saturday. The final is set for 7:00 PM PDT.

Maria Paz Muñoz has the first upset at the Battle of the Alamo Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT) event in San Antonio, Texas, as she defeated T. J. Baumbaugh, 11-6, 11-6, 11-8, in the Round of 32. Muñoz will play 4th seed Cheryl Gudinas in the Round of 16 later today.

No other upsets in the 32s.

In the other early match, Da'monique Davis beat Mariana Tobon Gordon, 12-10, 11-7, 11-9, and will play 5th seed Adrienne Fisher Haynes in the Round of 16 Friday afternoon.

The Round of 32 and Round of 16 are on Friday with the quarter finals and semi-finals will be on Saturday with the final to follow on Sunday. The LPRT Network webcast the action from the quarter-finals on.

As anticipated Brad Schopieray and Taylor Knoth had a battle at the 2013 Ektelon Tournament of Champions in Portland, Oregon - a Tier 1 event on the International Racquetball Tour (IRT), and Knoth, the former World Junior U18 Champion, came out on top in five games, 11-4, 10-12, 9-11, 11-1, 11-2. He then defeated Tim Prigo in the final qualifying round, 11-1, 11-3, 11-4, to make the round of 16, where he'll play 4th seed Chris Crowther.

Charlie Pratt's return to action was successful on Thursday as he made it through to the 16s with wins over Drew Litzer, 11-2, 11-2, 11-0, and Matt Majxner, 11-3, 8-11, 11-6, 11-7. Pratt will face 3rd seed Alvaro Beltran in the Round of 16.

The Marco Rojas-Diego Crespo match wasn't as competitive as anticipated as Rojas won in three straight games to get to the 16s and a chance to play left-handed veteran Javier Moreno.

The IRT Network will be web-cast the Round of 16 beginning at 10 AM PDT Friday morning. Note that the semi-finals and final will be on Saturday. The final is set for 7:00 PM PDT.

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Going back to Portland. That's what the International Racquetball Tour (IRT) is doing this weekend, as the 2013 Ektelon Tournament of Champions happens in Portland, Oregon, which has a rich history of racquetball excellence. Portland was the site for the Tournament of Champions for ten years from 1991 to 2001.

Cliff Swain won the most Portland events with four victories. In fact, he was undefeated in Portland finals. Sudsy Monchik won three times in Portland and was in one other final, which he lost to Swain.

The first two Portland events were won by Dan Obremski, who beat Ruben Gonzalez in the first event and Drew Kachtik in the second one. Gonzalez won the third Portland event by beating Jack Newman in the final.

The last Portland Tournament of Champions was won by Swain in 2001, when he defeated Jason Mannino, who's now the IRT President.

Current IRT #1 Kane Waselenchuk will be looking to add his name to the impressive list of Portland champions.

Qualifying rounds

There are several players in qualifying, so there will be three qualifying rounds on Thursday. Some highlights include Charlie Pratt's return to action. Pratt will be playing in his hometown, and he's been out most of the season with an ankle injury.

Pratt will play the winner of Drew Litzer and Jorge Thomas and if he gets through his qualifying bracket he'll face 3rd seed Alvaro Beltran in the Round of 16. Pratt defeated Beltran at the 2011 US Open for one of the best results of his career.

Some of we think could be the best qualifying matches include a potential match between Marco Rojas and Diego Crespo, who was very impressive in Denver, where he lost to Alex Ackermann in five games in the final qualifying round. Crespo has to beat Sunji Spencer to play Rojas.

Also, young left-hander Brad Schopieray will likely play Taylor Knoth in a battle of two good young players.

The IRT Network will be web-cast the final round of qualifying Thursday night and then the Round of 16 beginning at 10 AM PDT Friday morning. Note that the final will be Saturday night at 7:00 PM PDT not on Sunday.

The Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT) is back in action this weekend down in San Antonio, Texas with the Battle of the Alamo tournament. Of note this weekend there are several good young players in the draw, so there will likely be some upsets before the weekend is over.

Whether one of those upsets will involve Paola Longoria, the LPRT's #1 player who hasn't lost in almost two years, is anyone's guess, although we're not betting on it.

However, players like Maria Jose Vargas, Maria Paz Muñoz, Veronica Sotomayor and Frédérique Lambert will undoubtedly cause trouble for some of the other top seeds.

Vargas was a semi-finalist in the last LPRT event in Reseda, California, where Lambert lost in the Round of 16 in five games to Adrienne Fisher after she beat Jackie Paraiso in the Round of 32. Muñoz and Sotomayor reached the quarter-finals and semi-finals, respectively, of last year's US Open.

Sotomayor has the toughest draw, as she is seeded 16th, so will play top-seeded Longoria if she wins her first match with Sheryl Lotts. Muñoz plays T. J. Baumbaugh first with the winner to play veteran Cheryl Gudinas.

Vargas will play another young player Carla Muñoz (no relation to Maria Paz Muñoz) first with the winner to play 3rd seed Susana Acosta, and finally Lambert is up against Cristina Amaya and the winner of that match will play the winner of Kerri Wachtel and Liz Alvarado.

Also in the draw is Sharon Jackson, who was a double medalist - bronze in singles and gold in doubles - at the Pan American Championships last month. She faces Krystal Csuk in the Round of 32.

The action begins on Friday with the Round of 32 and Round of 16. The quarter finals and semi-finals will be on Sunday with the final to follow on Sunday. The LPRT Network webcast the action from the quarter-finals on.

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Few changes in the latest Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT) rankings. The top five players are the same with Paola Longoria and Rhonda Rajsich leading the way at #1 and #2, respectively. They have played in all but one final this season with Longoria winning every time.

The next three players are left hander Susy Acosta holding steady at #3, Cheryl Gudinas at #4 and Adrienne Fisher, who's been the only other finalist this season, is at #5.

However, Samantha Salas has moved up to 6th from 8th. Kerri Wachtel remains in 7th with Krystal Csuk falling to 8th.

Grace Hughes and Cristina Amaya both moved up one spot to 9th and 10th with Jennifer Saunders dropping out of the top 10 to 11th.

Maria Jose Vargas has moved up to 15th with Sheryl Lotts back in the top 20 at #20.

The LPRT's next event is the Battle of the Alamo in San Antonio, Texas April 26-28, 2013.

In St Louis, Marco Rojas won the men's open division at the Party with the Pros tournament with a one point victory over Juan Herrera, 10-15, 15-7, 11-10. Rojas defeated Lee Connell, 15-7, 15-6, in one semi-final with Herrera beating Sebastian Franco, 1-15, 15-7, 11-7, in the other.

Sunday, April 14, 2013

Paola Longoira once again defeated Rhonda Rajsich to win the Ladies Pro Racquetball Tour (LPRT) division at the California Regionals tournament in Reseda, California by scores of 11-3, 5-11, 11-1, 11-7. The win extends Longoria's winning streak that dates back to May 2011.

Longoria's now won 16 LPRT events in a row, which could be a longer streak than any other woman in the history of professional racquetball (our records of women's pro matches are incomplete).

We can tell you that Longoria's won 30 women's pro tournaments, which puts her 4th all time behind Lynn Adams (45), Michelle Gould (41) and Cheryl Gudinas (39). Moreover, Longoria's winning percentage in the finals of 73.2% is 3rd behind Gould (95.3%) and Shannon Wright (76.0%).

How dominant is Longoria on tour? Consider that on Sunday Rajsich won a game from Longoria for only the third time this season in their seven matches in the finals. That is, Longoria games won-lost record versus Rajsich this season is 21-3.

The next LPRT event is the Battle of the Alamo in San Antonio, Texas April 26-28 with the SCS Title and Escrow Pro/Am to follow the next week in Herndon, Virginia.

Paola Longoira - the #1 player on the Ladies Pro Racquetball Tour (LPRT) ended Maria Jose Vargas good run through the draw at the California Regionals tournament in the semi-finals, with a 11-3, 11-3, 11-8 win. Vargas had defeated the 4th seed Cheryl Gudinas and 5th seed Adrienne Fisher in the two previous rounds, but she couldn't end Longoria's winning streak, which goes back to May 2011.

The task of ending Longoria's streak now falls to LPRT #2 Rhonda Rajisch who won the other semi-final against Susana Acosta, 3-11, 11-4, 11-1, 11-5. Rajsich is the last player to defeat Longoria.

The final will be at noon PDT on Sunday, and can be seen via the LPRT Network.

Kane Waselenchuk won the 2013 Party with the Pros tournament in St Louis, Missouri, in what was a return to form for the International Racquetball Tour's (IRT's) #1 player. Somewhat ironically Wasselenchuk's victory over Alvaro Beltran was by injury default, as Beltran was unable to continue towards the end of game two, with Waselechuk leading 9-6. Waselenchuk won the first game 11-0.

Beltran's back seemed to be the cause of his pain, and reason for defaulting.

The irony comes from the fact Waselenchuk had to default the final of the previous IRT event as he reinjured his right knee against Rocky Carson. But that wasn't an issue for Waselenchuk in St Louis, as he won his sixth tournament of the season. He also beat Beltan in the final of the Davison, Michigan event back in November.

In two weeks, the IRT will be in Portland, Oregon for the Ektelon Tournament of Champions April 25-28.

Kane Waselenchuk, International Racquetball Tour (IRT) #1 and top seed, defeated Marco Rojas, 11-3, 11-1, 11-4, to reach the final of the the Party with the Pros tournament in St Louis, Missouri.

But in the final, Wasselenchuk will face Alvaro Beltran and not Rocky Carson, the IRT #2, who has been his most frequent finals opponent this season, as Beltan beat Carson in the other semi-final, 9-11, 11-1, 11-8, 12-10.

It's Beltan's third final of the season and second against Waselenchuk, who defeated Beltran in the final of the Davison, Michigan event back in November.

Maria Jose Vargas's had another good result Saturday morning, as she defeated Adrienne Fisher, 11-8, 11-2, 11-3, in the quarter-finals of the Ladies Pro Racquetball Tour (LPRT) division of the California Regionals tournament, which puts her in the semi-finals of a Tier 1 LPRT event for the first time in her young career.

However, Vargas's task gets more difficult now, as she'll play LPRT #1 Paola Longoria in the semis, and Longoria hasn't lost on tour since May 2011. In Saturday's quarter finals, Longoria defeated Grace Hughes, 11-1, 11-3, 11-9.

On the other side of the draw, 2nd seed Rhonda Rajsich is the last American alive in the draw, and she needed five games to get by Samantha Salas, winning 7-11, 11-6, 11-7, 3-11, 12-10.

Rajsich will play Susana Acosta in the semis, as Acosta beat Kerri Wachtel, 11-, 11-0, 11-4.

The semi-finals are at 4 PM and 5 PM PDT Saturday and the final at noon PDT on Sunday, and all three matches can be seen via the LPRT Network.

Saturday, April 13, 2013

Marco Rojas has reached the semi-finals for the first time in his career at a Tier 1 International Racquetball Tour (IRT) event, as he's into the quarters at the Party with the Pros tournament in St Louis, Missouri. And he did so in dramatic fashion, as Rojas defeated Alejandro Landa in five games after losing the first two games and being down 8-0 in game three before coming back to win 9-11, 5-11, 12-10, 11-5, 11-7.

It was a match of two of the most impressive young players on the IRT.

It might have been two Rojas players in the semi finals, if Marco's older brother Jose had managed to maintain the level of play that he started out with against IRT #2 Rocky Carson, as Rojas on game one of their match, 11-6.

Game two was close, but the veteran Carson squeaked it out 12-10 and from there didn't look back, as he won games three and four comfortably to take the match in four games, 6-11, 12-10, 11-4, 11-2.

Maria Jose Vargas's good season on the Ladies Pro Racquetball Tour (LPRT) continued Friday, as she defeated 4th seed Cheryl Gudinas in the Round of 16 at the California Regionals tournament in Rededa, California, 11-5, 11-8, 9-11, 11-5, to advance to the quarter-finals on Saturday.

Fifth seed Adrienne Fisher will be Vargas's next opponent as Fisher ended Frédérique Lambert's run in Reseda, but she needed a tie-breaker to do it, winning 0-11, 11-7, 11-8, 4-11, 13-11. Fisher was outscored 48-39, but still managed to win the match.

Grace Hughes has also had a good season, and that continued Friday, as she came back from two games down to defeat Cristina Amaya, 9-11, 10-12, 15-13, 11-3, 11-4. Hughes will play LPRT #1 Paola Longoria, who was a straight game winner over Sheryl Lotts, 11-9, 11-7, 11-3, in the 16s.

Friday, April 12, 2013

One big upset in the first round of the Ladies Pro Racquetball Tour (LPRT) event in Rededa, California, where Frédérique Lambert defeated former #1 Jackie Paraiso, 8-11, 11-6, 11-6, 13-11. She'll play 5th seed Adrienne Fisher in the Round of 16 later on Friday.

Two other players we noted in our preview also won in the first round as Maria Jose Vargas defeated Jocelyn Loredo, 11-4, 11-6, 11-4, and Janel Tisinger beat fellow Californian Hailey Miller, 11-5, 11-2, 11-4.

The Round of 16 concludes Friday evening and then the quarter finals will begin at 10 AM PDT Saturday morning, and you can watch some of them on-line via the LPRT network.

Two upsets in the Round of 16 at the Party with the Pros International Racquetball Tour (IRT) tournament. Alejandro Landa defeated Tony Carson in what was quite a competitive match, although it only went three games as Landa won 11-7, 13-11, 11-8.

In game two, it looked like Carson was going to level the match, as he got a 10-6 lead on Landa. But he failed to finish the game on two game point opportunities, and Landa came back with five straight points including an ace, which tied the game 10-10.

Facing game point himself, Carson took a timeout, got the serve back and tied the game at 11-11. But Landa stopped him, and scored two straight points to take the game 13-11, winning it with a kill shot on the third shot of the rally.

In game three, Landa led early at 4-0. Carson tied it at 4-4, but then Landa went ahead to stay. But when he got to match point at 10-6, Carson held him off on four match point opportunities and closed the gap to 10-8.

At that point, Landa called a time-out, and when play resumed got a side-out for his fifth match point opportunity, which he converted to win 11-8.

The other upset in the 16s was due to injury, as 4th seed Chris Crowther had to default against Marco Rojas due to a back injury. Rojas will play Landa for a spot in the semi-finals.

Having no trouble in their first matches were top seed and IRT #1 Kane Waselenchuk, who defeated Juan Herrera, 11-4, 11-1, 11-3, and 2nd seed Rocky Carson who beat Jansen Allen, 11-3, 11-3, 11-4.

The IRT Network will web-cast all four quarter final matches beginning at 4 PM CDT Friday afternoon. Note that the final will be Saturday night at 7:00 CDT rather than Sunday.

Thursday, April 11, 2013

Only one upset in the qualifying rounds at the Party with the Pros International Racquetball Tour (IRT) tournament in St Louis, Missouri, as Sebastian Franco defeated Brad Schopieray, 11-9, 11-9, 11-5, to make the Round of 16 on Friday. Franco will play Alvaro Beltran in the 16s.

The IRT Network will be web-cast the Round of 16 beginning at 11 AM CDT Friday morning. Note that the final will be Saturday night at 7:00 CDT rather than Sunday.

The Ladies Pro Racquetball Tour (LPRT) is back in action, and they are in Rededa, California, where they are having a tournament in conjunction with the California Regionals event. Twenty one players are in the draw with twenty of them hoping to end LPRT #1 Paola Longoria's winning streak, which dates back to May 2011 and stands at 15 straight tournaments.

Other players of interest in the draw are former #1 Jackie Paraiso, who's reached at least the quarter finals in the two events she's played this season. But her first opponent will be Canadian Frédérique Lambert, the 2011 U18 Junior World Champion.

Also in the draw are Maria Jose Vargas, who won the 2012 U18 Junior World Championship and has reached the quarter finals at two LPRT events this season, and Janel Tisinger, who got to the 16s at last year's US Open.

Thus, there should be plenty of good matches in Reseda this weekend. You can watch some of them on-line via the LPRT network beginning with the quarter finals on Saturday morning at 10 AM PDT.

There's a smaller than usual draw for this weekend's Party with the Pros International Racquetball Tour (IRT) tournament in St Louis, Missouri. But significantly IRT #1 Kane Waselenchuk is in the draw. Hopefully, he's fully recovered from the knee injury that led him to withdraw from the final at the last IRT event in Denver three weeks ago.

The best two qualifying matches will likely be Marco Rojas, coming off his silver medal at the Pan Am Championships, against Canadian Lee Connell, who always leaves it all on the court, and young left-hander Brad Schopieray versus Colombian Sebastian Franco, who was a bronze medalist in U18 at last year's Junior World Championships.

The winner of Rojas-Connell will face Chris Crowther in the Round of 16 with the winner of Schopieray and Franco to play Alvaro Beltran in the 16s.

The best of the Round of 16 matches could be Tony Carson versus Alejandro Landa (assuming Landa wins his qualifying match against Ryan Maher), as Landa has reached at least the quarter finals in his two IRT appearances this season, including a semi-final finish at the California Open in January.

The IRT Network will be web-cast the final round of qualifying Thursday night and then the Round of 16 beginning at 11 AM CDT Friday morning. Note that the final will be Saturday night at 7:00 CDT rather than Sunday.

Monday, April 8, 2013

Places one through nine are constant in the latest International Racquetball Tour (IRT) rankings, but Alex Ackermann is into the top 10 for the first time in his career at #10. Andy Hawthorne dropped to 11th, but the difference between them is only a single point.

Kane Waselenchuk is holding steady at #1, and his overall points advantage over #2 Rocky Carson has actually increased since the last rankings on March 12, despite Carson's win over Waselenchuk at the last IRT event in Denver.

However, Carson is ahead of Waselenchuk in the season points by over 500 points, and if that holds up Carson would finish #1 at the end of the season.

With the win in Denver, Carson has now won more tournaments - three - than in any other season in his career except for 2007-08, when he finished #1 with seven tournament victories.

Waselenchuk has been beset by injuries this season, but looked fully fit in Florida, where he won, and Denver up until he was injured in the final against Carson and was forced to retire after the third game. The big question is whether he'll be fit again for this weekend's Party with the Pros in St Louis, Missouri.

The IRT Party With The Pros begins Thursday April 11 in St Louis. The event will be live streamed by the IRT Network beginning with the final round of qualifying action on Thursday night and continuing with the Round of 16 on Friday through to the final on Saturday night.